Chapter 12: Vision of Home

The forest's cold breath swept through the woods like for the first time, bringing with it the frigid cold. The sky was dark and ominous, the pathway forking through the forest like a distending tease, the path thinning as the woods grew longer. There was a promise of an end that did not come.

Teeming with life, the forest was never silent or still. Glowing eyes followed Link wherever he went, skulking in the shadows, as if waiting for the perfect moment to strike. A cacophony of snarls and growls consumed the forest, sending chills down Link's spine. To keep his fear and anxiety at bay, Link spoke with Navi, keeping his eyes open for danger.

"There is something peculiar about this place," he said. "Not just the forest; even the town and its residences. Even the smell of its flowers stirs up familiar emotions. I've been to many different places in my life, Navi, but somehow this place is the most familiar to me." Link laughed dryly. "Ironic, considering how far I am from home."

"Why have you come here, Hero of Winds?" Navi asked, her glowing body the only light visible in the forest.

"Why, to revive Tetra, of course," he said as if it were obvious. "And to find a way to destroy the Phantom."

Navi shook her head. "No, why did you leave your home, Outset, in the first place? You had achieved what you desired most, hadn't you? Any other man would have settled down and finally lived a normal life, but not you, Link."

"I suppose I could never do such," he answered. "I had defeated Ganondorf, yes, but something about that day made me reluctant to return home and resume my old life. Farming and caretaking my grandmother hardly seem interesting next to infiltrating the Forsaken Fortress or dueling Ganondorf." He looked out into the night, the hisses of the animals a reminder of the imminent danger. "I suppose it is more than that," he admitted. "I guess it would have been hard to return home. Nobody would look at me the same way again, knowing what I had done. I suppose I wanted to start anew, a clean slate. I wanted to forget my life there, my battles with Ganondorf, my achievements. I had thought originally that I was fighting to secure my home, but it was never my home, and it can never be. A Hero's life is a lonely one, Navi. We are always detached from society, put on a pedestal when we wish to remain on the ground. A Hero can never have a home."

Navi's smile faded, and pity was discerned through her face. She was about to attempt to alleviate Link's hurt when something unexpected occurred. The once loud and bustling forest turned silent, and this change startled Link and Navi. Suddenly the rustling of leaves was heard, and three figures appeared, illuminated by the light of Navi. One was lengthy and red; another a shadowy figure; and the last a paper-thin creature with wings, flying beside the others. On impulse, Link drew his sword.

The red creature smiled. "Hero of Winds, what an honor to finally meet you," he said, mocking him, his voice deep and rumbling as a volcano would be before erupting. Link stood still, his sword outstretched in hand. "My name is Gregon, the flying one is Felk, and the last is Elsor. As you may have guessed, we are here to destroy you."

"You will do no such thing!" Navi snapped.

"Silence!" Gregon's relatively passive attitude suddenly morphed into aggression. Just as instantly, he was calm and temperate again. "I've heard you are strong, Hero, but we were hand-picked by the Phantom himself, and failure is not in our nature."

"Put down your weapon," Felk squeaked, wings flapping erratically. Link kept his weapon poised in the air. He exchanged glances with Navi.

"I will protect you," she said, almost desperately. "I will not fail you again. Never, never again." Link nodded, then turned back to the others.

"I suppose you wish to end this with a struggle," Elsor said. His voice, like his body, was barely perceptible, the tone fusing with the howling wind.

All three of the Phantom's assassins charged at once. Felk, soaring through the air, kept his claws outstretched, swooping down. Gregon, running with lanky arms on the ground, prepared to leap on top of the Hero. Elsor, emerging from the shadows, drew a sword as black as himself, soaring through the air like a ghost. Felk reached him first, and Link was able to fend him off with his sword, forcing the creature to rise higher into the air. Gregon leaped great lengths across the forest, landing on Link's back, swiping at him. The Hero of Winds was able to rip him away with a few swipes of his sword, but not without exchanging a few blows. Elsor was the last to enter the battle, watching carefully within the darkness' border before making a move. He attacked when Link had his back turned, but much to his dismay, the Hero blocked his sword with his own, the abrading blades producing sparks of light.

Navi did her best to aid Link, repeatedly ramming into Felk in the air. She was able to distract Felk for a time, forcing the creature to pay attention to the Fairy. On the ground, Link fought a two-way battle between Elsor and Gregon. Between crossing swords with the shade, he kept the red demon at bay.

Finally, after numerous blows were exchanged, and Link had endured wounds no other boy could have withstood, he had had enough. Link drew a bomb from his pouch, lit it, and hurtled it toward Gregon. As the explosion consumed the demon's body, Link fought the shadow alone, able to take advantage of the lone enemy, the light from the bomb flashing his eyes red as he moved. But the shadow proved formidable, and Link was forced to search his mind for another means of victory. Keeping his distance after a hiatus from battle, Link withdrew an arrow and prepared to release it. Elsor ran towards the Hero, but it was too late: he had released the arrow; however, it was not aimed towards the shadow, but Felk. Rather than shooting the arrow at the poised and ready Elsor, instead he changed the direction of battle by sending it toward Felk, busy fighting the Fairy. The tip pierced the creature's left wing, and it came crashing down on the forest floor. Navi, no longer preoccupied with the flying creature, flew in Elsor's path, disorienting him. Link turned to the shadow, stringing another bow. He was about to release it when Elsor said,

"You have won for now, Hero, but we will meet again. Make no mistake about that."

In the darkness of the night, Elsor disappeared, cloaked in the shadows. Link felt the ghost's unmistakable presence, moving swiftly in the night, but even Navi's light was not bright enough to reveal him. Link heard as Felk was removed from sight, then Gregon, but he saw naught. Like the silent wisp of a quenched candle, Elsor left no trace of his work.

Silence once again consumed the forest. Link looked around, but his enemies were gone. He stared up into the sky only to see the silhouette of a ghost floating above the clouds, eclipsed against the moon, carrying with it two lifeless bodies.